Diversity in Uniform is a Strength

I train brand new victim advocates and Sexual Assault Response Coordinators about 6 weeks out of the year. During that training, we talk about relating to people and understanding how their experiences may differ from our own in the context of providing advocacy services. For those who don’t know, Adam Driver is a Marine veteran. In this Ted Talk, he discusses what he didn’t expect to miss about life in the Marine Corps – the people – a diverse cross-section of humanity from all over the place.

It’s true. You don’t miss formations, the mess hall, stupid games played by petty dictators, and so on. You miss the people when you get out. I’ve been quoting this Ted Talk in training lately and didn’t realize it would hit so hard with my students. When you are on active duty, you will get moved outside of your comfort zone with new people, new perspectives and new experiences and you’ll be better for it.